After Gerry Read's opening effort for the new house music aligned Delsin series, Soul 223 aka Steve Pickton steps up. Productions under this alias are few and far between for Pickton, but the man himself has been producing melodic, Detroit inspired sounds since the mid '90s, most often as Stasis on labels like Peacefrog and Mo Wax. A keen sense of melodic colour also characterises the four cuts that make up this EP, with the first, 'Almost Like It Used To Be' pairing radiant pads with a lolloping house beat and plenty of melted synth sounds. Next up, 'Arties Mood' slows to a Moodymann styled pace, layering percussive samples, keys and jazzy motifs onto of a lazy house beat to conjure a perfect sunny afternoon vibe. 'Heartstrings' is alive with the sound of the cosmos as it rolls on through organic sounding bongos, sharper claps and plenty of neon lines. Closing track 'Essex' has a gummy, gritty bottom end sweetened by more glistening melodies and key work, all the while chugging along at a most inviting deep house pace. This is mature, jazz flecked house music for the more considered moments of the day.